How Drinking Alcohol Can Affect Obesity
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How Drinking Alcohol Can Affect Obesity
Christopher Knight
For more information on Alcohol Treatment and Alcohol Detox please see http://www.rehabclinic.org.uk
Recent studies have made us all very much aware of the problems of excess drinking and alcoholism. We are only too aware that abusing alcohol and the need to be admitted to an alcohol detox unit can begin at a frighteningly early age. The fact that this addiction has no boundaries and all people whatever ethnicity, age, gender or class can have their lives and their loved ones lives destroyed by its destructive effects still doent stop the problem arising. However we tend to see its affects to be confined to physical damage to the brain liver and organs, and a ravaging effect on emotions, spirit and mental health and nothing else.
Alcohol compounds the effects of Obesity
The fact is alcohol is affecting us in a detrimental way in a more subtle and indirect way. It has been accepted for some time that alcohol will add fat to the body but often its true effects are not taken seriously enough until it is too late. Putting on excess weight through the intake of alcoholic drinks can be a sure sign that drinkers may well be travelling on a journey that could lead to a need for alcohol treatment or at the very least a change in daily diet. Obesity can lead to an extra strain on the heart and other precious organs of the body; it can interfere with daily functioning; self-esteem and lead to mental health issues. This is compounded by the effects of alcohol itself.
Alcohol is a significant source of calories.
At the same time, drinking may in itself stimulate eating – especially in social settings. When we are out socialising there are often snacks and small meals to accompany our drinks – when we go out for a meal, 90% of the time it is associated with taking a drink as well. So as far as calories go – an alcoholic drink can be as bad as some meals.
There is however a difference between the calories in liquids to those found in food. It is thought that they do not have the same physiologic mechanism that produces the feeling of fullness we get when we finish a meal. It is this mechanism that stops us eating and eating. The drinker on the other hand enjoys the flavour of his drink (and any effects it may give him) take on all those calories, and continue to drink oblivious of the pounds he is piling on.
Frequent and infrequent drinking
Both frequent and infrequent drinking could lead to weight gain and they both come down to how it is used. You may not drink frequently but if you tend to binge drink then this will be like eating a large meal and you will be taking in a large source of calories which the body will have to store.
The other point to be taken into account here is calories are not all bad. They give us energy in order to deal with our daily needs. The downside of this is frequent drinkers probably learn sub-consciously to use those calories in a different way. Because they are deriving all that extra energy from drink, their bodies sub-consciously start to adapt to this and begin to use just alcohol as the source of energy.
Hence the drinker is on a downward spiral – alcohol is being used as a substitute for something it cannot really replace. We need all types of nutritious food to ensure we get the right variety and quantity of vitamins to keep our bodies stable and strong. This is why we tend to see at alcohol detox units, alcoholics who are not necessarily fat, but are weak fragile and wasting away. Because they have no appetite for food, they have starved their bodies of real nutrition.
Frequency Vs quantity
When analysing alcohol intake and how this maybe affecting our bodies it is important to take into consideration both quantity and frequency. If a person is drinking frequently and consistently over a long period of time it is more likely that the person will be affected rather than the individual who has a good drink at a party every other month. However what should also be taken into account is the addictive qualities of alcohol and what it is actually being taken for.
When frequency of alcohol intake is high (and this often goes hand in hand with large quantities) it is a sign there is a problem and maybe alcohol treatment is of need – a good time to be honest with yourself, revisit your reasons for drinking and look at what part it is taking in your life.
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